Media: the middle things, in reference to the first and last things: or, The means, duties, ordinances, both secret, private and publike, for continuance and increase of a godly life, once begun, till we come to Heaven. Wherein are discovered many blessed medium's or duties, in their right method, manner and proceedings; that so a Christian (the spirit of Christ assisting) may walk on in the holy path, which leads from his new birth to everlasting life. / Drawn, for the most part, out of the most eminently pious, and learned writings of our native practical divines: with additionals of his own, by Isaac Ambrose, minister of the Gospel at Preston in Amoundernes.

SECT. 5. The consideration of Experiences in a practical course; or some practical Rules to be observed.

IT were good for Christians intending the practical part, to ob∣serve these or the like Rules:

• Some Cautionary.
• Some Directory.

1. The Cautionary Rules may be these:—

1. In gathering Experiences, Beware of misprision of Gods Providences. There are many mistakes now adays, and there∣fore it is our best and onely course, for our security, to interpret all Gods works out of his Word: We must make the Scriptures [as we said before] a construing book to the book of Gods

Providences: Judge neither better of prosperity, nor worse of adversity, then Gods word warrants us. This was the Psalmists cure, his Experience put a Probatum est to this prescription, When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me, until I went into the Sanctuary of God, then understood I their end: God may prosper a wicked man, and he may construe this as an argument, and note it as an Experience of Gods gracious dealing with him, and dear love unto him: O take heed! To the Law and to the Testi∣mony, if they speak not according to this word▪ it is because there is no light in them.

2. In improving Experiences, beware how we argue from one Experience to another: Judgements threatned, are not always inflicted after one and the same maner; God meets with the wicked sometimes in this life, and sometimes he reserves their plagues for another. In like maner the gracious Providences of God are not always dispensed after one and the same maner; indeed David could say, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the Lyon, and out of the paw of the Bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine; and Paul could say, I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lyon, and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work: and so we may say, that God many times hath delivered us, and doth deliver us, and therefore that he will deliver us still: But this maner of arguing, as it is demon∣strative, so it hath some limitations, which we must carefully take notice of; as

1. That besides a meer Providence, we take notice of some Promise of God on which we build: Thus Paul delivered from death at one time, argued that God would deliver him at an∣other time; but in his arguing he eyes the Promise, he hangs on God, which (saith he) raiseth the dead.

2. That we consider the maner of the Promise, because

1. Some Promises are disjunctive; as when God in his mercy conveys any thing to us either in particular, or in the equivalent, by way of Commutation and Compensation with Spiritual things. Thus a Christians Experience works Hope, but not al∣ways of the self-same outward issue, and maner of deliverance out of his trouble, which he hath before time found; No, we must hope according to the Word, or according to the quality of the Promise: Pauls hope (after Experience of many deli∣verances)

was not expresly or peremptorily, that the prick in his flesh should be removed, but that Gods grace should be sufficient, and so he had the fruit of his former Experience, because he obtained an equivalent supply, but not otherwise.

2. Some Promises are conditional in respect of us; as when God promiseth protection from contagious sickness, and from trouble, and war: If my people which are called by my Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. In these or the like Promises, God may give us the Experience of his Word at one time, but deny it at another, because we fail in the condition of the Promise on our parts. Observe, Chri∣stians! would we conclude a deliverance as formerly, be sure then to look to the frame and disposition of our Spirits: If we are in the way of the Promise, then we may conclude it for certain; if we meet God in the course of his Providence, or in the improvement of the means he hath appointed, then we may set it down, That God will do whatsoever he hath promised to give, in his own way, or other∣wise not.

3. Some Promises are indefinite; as that in Jam. 5.14, 15. Is any sick among you? let him call for the Elders of the Church, and let them pray over him: — and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up: In this case God may sometimes, yet doth not always perform promise according to the letter, though a man may be truly qualified with the conditions specified in that Promise, toties quoties, again and again. It onely intends thus much, That God may, and sometimes will save the sick, and raise him up at the Churches prayers, but he will not ever do so. Now as God doth not always perform, so neither are we absolutely, or infallibly, or universally to conclude, The Promise is not universal, but indefinite, and accordingly our conclusions should not be universal, but indefi∣nite: we should indeed, because of the Promise, adventure our selves upon God in such a condition, not knowing but in his outward dis∣pensations he may make it good to us, yet with submission to his pleasure, if otherwise he dispose of us: And as this is all we must do, so this is all we can say, or conclude in such a case as this is.

2. The Directory Rules may be these:—

1. Let us communicate our own Experiences to the good of others. David in his deliverances invites others to have recourse unto him: Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name; then shall the

righteous compass me about, when thou shalt deal bountifully with me. Conceal not within our bosoms those things, the communicating whereof may tend to publike profit: Surely it were a course much tending to the quickning of the faith of all, if we would impart to one another our mutual Experiences.

2. Let us trade others Experiences to our own particular profit. Thus David in desertion hath recourse to Gods gracious dealings with his forefathers: Our fathers trusted in thee, they trusted, and thou didst deliver them; they cryed unto thee, and were delivered, they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. What favor God shew∣eth to any one, he will vouchsafe to every one that seeketh him dili∣gently, if it may be for his good: Thus we finde in Scripture, that sometimes a personal Experience was improved to an universal ad∣vantage, James 5.11. Psal. 73.1. Heb. 13.5, 6.

3. Let us cast our Experiences under several heads, and make the Word and Works face one another, and answer one to another: Or to make the work compleat, it were not amiss to distribute the frame into three Columns; and in the first to set down Experiences, in the second the Texts, in the third Dispositions answering Gods minde, in such and such a case, to be left on the heart afterwards.

4. Let us pray with fervency (when ever we set a time apart to view over our Experiences) that those Dispositions, answering Gods minde in every particular Experience, may be written in our hearts, and brought forth in our life afterwards. This will be the chief use and choyce comfort of the soul in this Duty. And this method a poor creature and servant of Christ hath followed in his own particular practice: whereof I shall give you a taste in the following Section.

Notes

• Psa. 37.16, 17
• Isa 8.20.
• 1 Sam. 17.36, 37.
• 2 Tim. 4.17, 18.
• 2 Cor. 1.9,10
• Rom 5.4.
• 2 Chron. 7.14.
• Iames 5.14, 15.
• Psal. 142.7.
• Psal. 22.4, 5.